Fear Her
by cloclomockingjay
Summary: Just when all hope is lost to save Morganville from the Draug an unimaginable secret is revealed, one that gives the Draugs reason to fear. Yes, Claire isn't human, she's something else, something new. And she has the power to stop them.
1. Chapter 1

Author's POV

Amelie always thought there was no way out of it, no way to defeat Magnus and the Draug. She also wondered why Myrnin kept so calm and enthusiastic when she couldn't. How he could stay strong when she, the strongest and most powerful person in Morganville, couldn't contain her consuming fear. She always thought it was because he was still a crazy old fool who didn't have enough sanity to feel the necessary fear.

What she didn't know was the truth. That Myrnin's constant faith and enthusiasm had nothing to do with his craziness in his mind, but what he held in it. Myrnin had a secret, one that held the key to defeating the Draug and saving Morganville. He also knew that this secret wouldn't stay a secret for much longer.

**I know it's a short start but it felt right. But since I haven't updated anything in ages I'll make you a deal. I'm not going to bed for ages so if I get a few reviews in the next few hours I'll start the next chapter. **


	2. Chapter 2

Amelie's POV

"There is no need for your words Myrnin. I will not change my mind." Just like everyday over the last two thousand years, since the very day she met him she didn't understand that never breaking courage that shone on her dearest friends face. Even in such dark days he kept the enthusiasm shining in those eyes. But she thought he was foolish. There was a reason he wasn't the type to lead and be in charge. Like she had led armies into battle and conquered so many he could never do it for one simple reason. His self invented faith would get him and everybody else killed.

But still she chose to allow him to continue. He was her friend after all and he'd done so much for her. She owed it to him. So Myrnin continued his babbling. "My dear there really is no need to destroy this town. We don't need to run anymore."

"Myrnin we have and always will have only two choices, which are run or die. And I have not fought my way through centuries of survival to die now. I will not."

"No Amelie please just listen, you don't understand. Before those were our only choices but now things have changed. Now we have a chance to stay and fight and this time we _can _win." Amelie couldn't help sighing at the crazy fool bowed in front of her.

"We have tried to fight before and it only resulted in the loss of so many valuable lives. There's nothing that could have happened in the last few centuries to change that."

"Of course nothing has changed apart from my knowledge. There has been a way for a while now Amelie. It's been stuck under our noses yet at the same time hiding in the shadows for so long. Only I discovered it a couple of years ago."

"I doubt any of your inventions or studies of lost Alchemy will have the power to save us." Amelie noticed Myrnin smile a slightly. Little did she know was that he found it amusing at how predictable she thought he was.

"Not lost Alchemy my dear but lost history. A once lost existence that has returned."

"What fairytale have you conjured from your mind now Myrnin."

"Not a fairytale but a myth, or rather a legend. One that I have managed to prove exists."

Again, Amelie didn't know why she allowed Myrnin to continue his explanation. Maybe it was because she was so desperate for an escape that just a moment of false hope made her feel better. Or perhaps just feeling Myrnin's strong belief of their survival gave her a moment of warmth to her heart. Because yes, although it hadn't beaten for so long and she never let it show, deep down she did have a heart.

"Myrnin, please just explain what you are talking about."

"Not a what but a who."

"No more riddles, just explain yourself."

"Ok, do you remember just three years ago when a young girl came to this town. One that caused so much trouble yet also caused so much peace. One that even you couldn't deny was special."

She knew instantly who he was talking about, there was no one else in Morganville or anywhere on the planet that fit that description. "Claire yes, but what do she have to do with this?"

"Haven't you ever wondered why she was so different? Why she has a mind almost as great as mine when her life has barely started? Why a teenage girl can survive and achieve so much?"

She couldn't deny it. From the moment she saw Claire she had wondered what made her so different. So many had tried to kill her and yet with the combination of her bravery and powerful mind she'd got past it all. In just a matter of weeks she'd changed from a young unknowing college student to one of the most important people in Morganville. Alongside her friends that girl was quite remarkable.

Amelie had tried to find an answer to the mystery but nothing ever added up. "What you are saying does make sense but I still do not understand."

Myrnin sighed before continuing while shaking his head. "It's obvious isn't it? That girl isn't human."

Amelie had in fact made this conclusion herself before, but only for a second. She'd quickly dismissed it and shook her head disapprovingly to herself. The girl smelled like a human and though she was unique there was nothing about her that suggested she was something else. She was about to point that out to Myrnin when he shook his head. "I know I know. She seems to be human. Nothing to suggest otherwise I know. I already made that conclusion which is why I've been doing a lot of research since I met Claire."

Though she didn't realise it, Amelie was leaning forward as the conversation intrigued her more and more. Every word that flew out of Myrnin's mouth was like a puzzle piece. It all fit together. "So what have you discovered?"

"Claire's true self is hidden within her, or dormant rather. The results of my research are actually quite ironic."

"How do you mean?"

"For centuries the mythology created by humans about Draug's has been hidden under a different name. I'm sure you know which."

"They have always been named as Mermaids yes."

"Well I discovered that that name doesn't belong to them, it's stolen. Mermaid in fact isn't one of the Draug's names. It's hers."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again, thanks for the first five reviews. Much appreciated. Anyway heres chapter 3. Please R&R.**

Myrnin's POV

While in his secret lab, Myrnin was yet again having one of his very common arguments with the brain of the Morganville computer system, Frank. Although he couldn't say that he wished he could have Ada back as the computer- because she would probably try to kill him again- sometimes he wished it had been someone else who died, someone who could offer a more productive brain. Because listening to Franks constant snarky remarks where so annoying.

However, this time, deep down Myrnin new Frank was right and that he was arguing with him for a good reason.

"Please tell me you are not serious!" Frank asked, shock and anger filling his projected voice.

"Does it sound like I'm making it up?"

"Look, I know you're a crazy old bastard but this is ridiculous... and wrong!"

Myrnin turned to face the 2D image that stood in the centre of the room. "Do you think I don't know that? Believe me I know this is wrong and I don't want it to happen as much as you do but there's no other way."

"There's always a way, especially for _her. _After everything she has done she deserves another way, not one as selfish as this."

"You're right, she does deserve another way, but there isn't one. Life is cruel to the kind." Myrnin replied coolly.

Frank's eyes narrowed. "You're cruel and I hope my son kills you for this. I hope he causes you twice as much pain as the pain you're going to cause him. Which I know is a lot."

"He has no reason to, he's not going to lose her."

"You're going to make him watch the love of his life die. Make him watch as you break that poor girl's neck just to give yourself a chance of survival. You make me sick."

"What else am I supposed to do? She has to die to come back as her true self. Her humanity must be destroyed for her to live as what she is meant to be. She won't be dead for long, a few minutes at the most. And anyway I'm not the one who's going to kill her, I can't do that." Myrnin new from the beginning he could never be the one to kill Claire, she was like the family he had lost so long ago. And although he kept his face calm while speaking to Frank, it was just his poker face to hide the horror he felt inside.

"Oh so that makes it all Ok. Alright then so who's the executioner? Amelie? Oliver? C'mon, I wanna know who's going to be on my son's hit list."

"Amelie most likely, so good luck to your son on trying to kill her."

Frank had nothing else to say and he couldn't kill Myrnin so him being there was pointless, with a shake of his head in disgust he disappeared.

Myrnin turned back to his pointless experiment because he had nothing to do until the plan started. It was a plan that would end his young assistant's life in one form and he was the one who created it, whether he was the one to break her neck or not it was still his betrayal.

An hour past and he realised that it was time to begin. All he had to do was call Claire and tell her he immediately needed her help at the lab. It was such a small part to play yet the one that would lead her to her death. Reluctantly he picked up his silly mobile device and dialled. Claire picked up quickly. _"Hello?"_

"Claire, It's Myrnin. I need your help at the lab, come quickly."

"_Why, what's wrong?"_ _Nothing I'm just luring you to your death._ He thought sadly to himself.

"No time, just come quickly." He new the urgency in his voice would cause Claire to think she was heading into danger, meaning the boy would come too. Yet more pain he was causing.

"_Ok, ok. I'll be right there."_

"Use the portal."

"_Ok, bye."_

The phone went dead right at the moment Myrnin felt a presence behind him. He turned to find Amelie and Oliver waiting, the seriousness evident on their faces. Amelie nodded once to Myrnin. "Thank for, and I'm sorry but this must be done."

Although he knew she was right he still felt the endless guilt. Although Claire was like a daughter to him she was also so much more, a sister, a friend, his whole family in one person.

They waited only a minute. When that time had passed they felt the familiar feeling of a portal opening and they turned their heads to see Claire and of course Shane appear in the room. Myrnin watched as Claire noticed who else was there, slight confusion touched her face. "What's wrong? Has another vampire gone missing?"

Shane put his arm around Claire's waist protectively and Myrnin wished for the boy's sake he would let her go for just a second. They both were going to suffer but it would be worse for him if she died in his arms. Myrnin stepped towards Claire. "No my dear, this is something else entirely." He wanted to do nothing more than say a brief sorry before dropping to his knees and begging for forgiveness for what was to come but he couldn't do that. If he did then Shane would try to defend Claire and they wanted to avoid a fight at all cost.

Luckily Amelie glanced at him for just a second and saw the need in his eyes and chose to end his pain quickly. She took a step towards Claire and began to speak. "Young Claire, for this I must sincerely apologi-"

"Well what have we here? Did someone forget to invite me?"


	4. Chapter 4

**I see you all liked the cliff hanger. ;) Thanks for reviewing again and by the way to the people who didn't review... I see you on my story stats! Just remember I have Myrnin on speed dial. Lol kidding ;) Or am I...**

Nobody's POV

Everybody's heads turned to look at the new voice in the room, which came from the bottom of the stairs. All of the vampire's eyes widen as they realised who the uninvited guest was. Magnus. He was casually stood watching them with the most evil grin slapped on his face. Myrnin's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you want?"

Magnus shrugged as he walked slowly towards them. "Nothing in particular, I just came to see what the occasion was."

"This is none of your concern, leave now."

Barely turning his head, Magnus looked at Myrnin through his dark eyes. "Or what old man? I'm sure none of you are going to throw me out."

He was right, none of the vampires could do anything and although they were trying to hide it they were scared. For once in their exceedingly long lives they didn't know what to do. When no one responded Magnus smirked before continuing to walk to the centre of the room. Twirling around to face everyone again he began to speak again. "Well-"

His eyes flickered to Claire's face who was still stood by Shane watching the unusual scene in front of her. It caused him to cut himself off and point a finger at her. "You."

The word made Claire flinch, surprised by the fact he suddenly had his attention on her.

"You're the one who could see me when nobody else could. When I didn't want anyone to. I would like to know how that is possible."

He waited for an answer but Claire had no idea what the right one was. "I- I don't know."

"Never mind my dear. I always say that when you can't find the answer to a mystery you should make it insignificant. By destroying its source."

Claire began to panic as Magnus began to stalk towards her. "What are you talking about? I don't even know who you are." Shane of course instinctively pushed Claire behind him so he could defend her. It was no use though because when Magnus reached them he simply back handed Shane out of the way- sending him flying into the wall- before grabbing Claire by the throat and holding her up in the air.

Normally the vampires would have come to her defence, after all the town needed her. But this time they stood and watched because without him knowing it Magnus was just doing them a favour. When Shane got up and tried to help Oliver grabbed him and held him back. Forced to watch the horror that occurred just seconds later.

Shane's POV

He didn't understand it. Why no one was trying to save Claire's life and instead stood by to watch like it was some sick show. Why Oliver wouldn't let him try to help either. Instead he had to watch as the man he didn't know held Claire by the neck, hanging her just below the light in the middle of the room.

The next few seconds almost slowed down for him and will probably scar his memory for life. As he struggled in vain he saw as the man looked at Claire and said gently. "Goodbye my dear." Shane then saw Claire's eyes widen before she took one last look at him, with one small tear shining just above her cheek. He could almost see the words _I love you _when he stared into her hazel irises.

Then it was over. A sickening crack ended the brief silence and Claire's body slumped to the floor. It was almost like he felt his life end along with hers, he felt so defeated and lost. He couldn't react in anger, he couldn't even run to Claire's side. He just fell to his knees and cried while slamming his fist into the floor, yelling over and over again. "No no no!"

Oliver let him go, he knew there was no need to hold him back because there was nothing he could do anymore. Claire's killer turned around and smiled. "Well I hope you all learned a lesson today." That was when Shane's temper began to show and he rose to his feet. He took a heavy step forward and began shouting. "You bastard, she never did anything to you! She didn't even know who you were. You are dead!"

He only got a laugh in response before Magnus turned to leave. When he was just passing Shane he stopped, a thoughtful look crossed his face before he turned to him. "Actually, you seem a strong one, I bet you would last longer than most humans. I think I may take you with me, I'm sure my children are hungry."

Shane suddenly heard a strange sound fill his ears like it was inside his head, it was almost like singing. He could feel it taking over him. For a few seconds he tried to fight against it, desperately trying to push it out of his mind. But he soon realised it wasn't going to work and that there was no point anyway. Claire was dead, there was no reason for him to be there anymore. Knowing all his self control would soon be gone he turned his head to look at Claire one last time... only to find she wasn't there. Her body had disappeared.

The discovery caused him to almost forget what was happening to him. He glanced at the vampires who were still silently watching and noticed a smile on Myrnin's face. He wanted to know how he could smile when he'd just let Claire die in front of him. For only a second could he think about this though because his attention was diverted yet again. The man trying to control him suddenly let out a strange sound and the singing came to an abrupt stop.

Shane looked at him to find him staring off with his mouth hanging open. For once he didn't have a smug look on his face. He stumbled to the side so Shane could see behind him. Then Shane was the one with his mouth hanging open because stood behind the slightly immobilized man was a person he thought he'd never see again. The person stood there was Claire, holding a blade in her hand, with a strange light blue glow in her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Nobody's POV

Shane had in fact been the only one who didn't see Claire return from death and rise to her feet, somehow stronger than she was before. The vampires watching –even Amelie- couldn't help but stare in astonishment as the once fragile girl rose to her feet, took one look at what was happening to her boyfriend and grabbed a blade off a table before marching over to her killer and plunging it into his chest.

The attack did less damage than it appeared, the pure shock alone caused the Draug leader to stumble and fall to the floor. It didn't take him long to get back up but long enough to give Shane, Myrnin, Amelie and Oliver time to take a look at Claire. When they did they looked straight into her eyes and found they couldn't look away. When they saw the bright, radiating glow it was like looking into her soul, a deep never ending sea of ice and water. They felt lost in its beauty.

The glow die down ever so slightly and released its hold on them just as Magnus stood up and turned to face Claire. He quickly plastered a look of anger on his face but the fear was still slightly evident underneath. "Impossible, I killed you. And you're a- a..."

Claire's head cocked to the side as she smiled at him "A what?"

"Another creature of the sea, but they're supposed to be extinct!" Magnus shouted, making it evident who knew exactly what she was and didn't like it at all.

"Well technically they were. Until you snapped my neck of course."

Magnus's eye's narrowed, he didn't like losing and he certainly hated losing his advantages. He growled once before pulling his hand back, ready to slash at Claire. His hand soon flashed towards her but she just raised her palm and his attack came to an abrupt stop. Everyone watched as his hand stopped between them both, like it was stuck in midair. Then Claire closed her hand into a fist as Magnus's face twisted in agony.

Nobody had ever seen Magnus in pain and at first they didn't understand what was happening. It soon became evident. His fingertips were beginning to freeze into solid ice and it was slowing working its way up his arm. When almost his entire arm was frozen Claire led her hand drop, Magnus's face started to smooth out as he felt the freezing end. The two watched each other for a second until the Draug's eyes flickered towards Shane and back. "Fine, if I can't kill you then I will kill him."

That was when Shane felt the singing in his head start again and he felt himself begin to drift away. Claire knew what Magnus was doing and didn't like it one bit. Her only verbal response was. "I can sing too." At the same time everyone heard another song begin to drift through the room and inside their heads. It was a sweeter sound than the other and made them feel peaceful rather than stomach knotting fear and uneasiness. The vampire's even liked this one. It also blocked out the song trying to control Shane.

When Claire was happy Shane was fine she spoke again. "It's not so nice when I'm angry."

Everyone watched then in confusion as Magnus dropped to his knees and screamed. He tried to cover his ears to block out Claire's song and nobody understood why, to them it was beautiful. They didn't know that while Claire had allowed them to hear the one that gave them a feeling of peace, she'd twisted the song in Magnus's ears so it sounded like a never ending, ear ripping shriek. At that moment he would have given anything for someone to rip his ears off or even kill him, the sound was just too unbearable... but then it ended. For some reason the sound came to a sudden stop and Magnus had no idea why, nor did he care because he saw his chance to escape. Without looking back he bolted out the lab.

He hadn't looked at Claire once when the song ended so he hadn't noticed the glow in her eyes had disappeared. She looked like normal Claire again and she felt weakened by her sudden use of power. She wasn't used to it.

Nobody said anything for a moment, they either didn't dare or just didn't know what they could say. Shane finally spoke after the worry for his once dead girlfriend built up. "Claire?" He almost whispered uncertainly. Claire then slowly turned to face them, her face was a mask of confusion. She looked straight at Shane and asked. "Where am I?"

Before anyone could respond her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she collapsed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thought I'd update before Christmas because I doubt I'll get a chance tomorrow. Again thanks to all reviewers. **

Nobody's POV

Everyone ran towards Claire as soon as she collapsed. While Shane dropped to the floor and pulled her into his arms, the vampires stood around her, all peering down in curiosity and uncertainty. For once even Oliver looked interested.

Shane checked her over, first feeling for a pulse in her neck and checking she was breathing properly. Once he knew she had just passed out and was certain she would be fine he began to stroke her hair. He never said a word to anyone.

The silence went on for a moment until Myrnin said softly. "Is she Ok?"

"Yeah." Shane replied before lifting his head to look at Myrnin, a dark look in his eyes. "No thanks to you."

Though he had no right to, Myrnin looked genuinely baffled by the boys words. "W- What?"

"You didn't help her, you didn't even try." The anger in his voice was hard for anyone to ignore.

Amelie tried to silence him before he said something she didn't want him to. "Mr Collins-"

"No! Don't, just don't!" He pointed a finger at her. "You could have helped her. She didn't have to go through that, after everything she has done she didn't deserve it."

"There was nothing we could do. Don't you think we would have if we could?" Myrnin pleaded desperately for him to be quiet, he could feel him getting to something they hoped would never be found out.

"No you wouldn't have, because you wanted him to kill her!"

The room fell quiet for a moment and Myrnin's eyes widened. He knew. One of the very last people they wanted to find out their plan had worked the whole thing out in a matter of seconds. Myrnin tried to deny it because he knew Claire would be the next to know. "That's not true."

"Don't try to give me that bullshit. I may not be as smart as Claire but I'm smart enough to know what I'm seeing. That's why you wouldn't let me help her either, you knew this was going to happen to her. Is that why you asked her to come here? Were you going to kill her yourselves before he showed up."

Again Myrnin tried to deny everything but the look he saw in Shane's eyes told him there was no point. "I- I... yes!" He choked before dropping his head in shame.

"Is that true Myrnin?"

Everyone looked down. Nobody had noticed before but when they saw Claire they realised she'd woken up, he eyes fixed on Myrnin's face. He opened his mouth to explain but found he couldn't do it. He didn't need to anyway, the look in his eyes told Claire everything. When he looked at her again and saw the look of total betrayal shimmer in her tear filled eyes he took a step towards her with his hands out in front of him, desperate to explain himself and beg for her forgiveness. Claire sat up quickly and while angrily shaking her head, backed further into Shane's arms.

They both stood up quickly and while holding onto each other they stood to face the vampires in front of them. Claire's attention moved from Myrnin to Amelie. "So you asked Myrnin to call me here so you could kill me. Why?"

"Because of what you are Claire. Myrnin discovered your secrets and the power you hold, we need it for this towns sake." Amelie said simply.

Claire couldn't take anymore. "You even had the nerve to apologise first." She yelled as she began to walk passed them towards the stairs.

When she was passing Myrnin he whispered. "Wait Claire, just let us explain everything first. You need to know." She didn't reply or even look his way so he tried to plead with Shane instead. "What about you? Don't you want to know what she is?"

Shane turned to face Myrnin directly and although he didn't exactly tower over the vampire he definitely looked the most intimidating of the two at that moment, something no one would have thought possible before. "I don't care. Whatever she is, she didn't deserve to die for it."

He turned away then and carried on walking. They thought that would be it but Amelie turned her head slightly and said with authority in her voice. "Stop Claire, you must wait."

"There is nothing I must do." Was Claire's simple reply.

"Oliver." That one word caused Oliver to step in Claire's way. Shane tried to pull her behind him, knowing all too well what Oliver was capable of when given the chance. Claire wasn't in the mood though and wouldn't let him, instead she gently shook him off and stepped right up to Oliver. A moved that more or less gave Shane a heart attack.

"Get out of my way Oliver." She said in warning.

He just laughed at her. "Do you really think you can threaten me?"

Everyone apart from Oliver was behind Claire and the only thing they saw was the smug look on Oliver's face which suddenly changed into a look of alarm. Something rarely seen on his face. The reason for this sudden change was that while Oliver was looking at Claire she changed right in front of him from the not so intimidating old Claire to the one that had took on Magnus just moments before. Her eyes were once again glowing, sparked by the anger that was building inside of her.

The next moment was even more of a surprise because as Oliver watched her she suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifted him off the floor and before he could fight back she threw him to the side. He landed on a table, causing glass equipment to break and one of Myrnin's experiments to be totally destroyed.

While he quickly tried to get to his feet again Claire grabbed Shane's hand and pulled him along with her as she marched up the stairs with her head held high.

**Hope you like it and Merry Christmas ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

Claire's POV

Claire kept herself composed all the way up the stairs, out of the shack and even in the alley. But once she had stepped on to the path outside Granma Day's house she let go of a still stunned Shane's hand and fell down on the floor, the shock of what had happened had finally hit her and in full force. She quickly shuffled along until her back was leant against a fence for support.

When Shane knelt down in front of her she put her head in her hands and started to freak out. "Oh my god. What's happening? What the hell is happening?" She looked on the brink of a panic attack and Shane tried his best to try and calm her down.

"Claire, you need to calm down. It's all right its over, you're Ok."

His words caused Claire to freeze for a second, her eyes wide as she stared back into his. "How the hell is this over? You saw me in there and you heard them. I'm not human... I- I don't even know what I am."

"I think they were going to tell you."

"Did you think I was going to stick around and talk to them? They were going to kill me Shane. I trusted them, Myrnin especially and they were going to kill me... But forget about them what about me!" Claire practically screamed out in a rush. Each second her breathing began to quicken until she could barely take a breath at all. Soon Shane's hands were on her shoulders and he stared right into her eyes.

"Claire listen to me. Calm down and breathe Ok, just breathe."

For a second Claire concentrated on each breath till she almost had them in complete control. "I'm sorry it's just... just that I have no idea what I am... or maybe even who! I could be a monster for all I know, maybe you should be running from me right now."

"Look, I don't know what you are either but I'll tell you what I do know. _You_ are Claire, you may not be human but I know you're not a monster and I am never running from you, Ok?"

She nodded in response but quickly her forehead creased in deep thought, once again causing Shane to worry. "What's wrong now?"

"I actually threw Oliver out of my way."

Shane couldn't help but laugh before he sat down properly beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "And that image is forever going to play in my head every time I see him. One way to brighten my day."

They sat there for a while even though they knew it wasn't the best idea. All they wanted was a moment to think and just be together, because they both knew this wasn't the end of things. It was just the beginning. Shane finally got to his feet first and pulled Claire up with him. "We better get home." He gave Claire a strange look before continuing. "And explain everything to Eve and Michael."

"Do we have to? They are going to freak."

"Correction, Michael is going to freak. Eve will just be happy she's not the strangest one in the house."

Claire responded to his comment with a fake offended look. "One, that's mean. Two, I'm telling."

Shane just gave her a _"bring it" _look before he started to pull her in the direction of the Glass House. Again there was silence between them. Claire was busy imagining in her head Michael and Eve's reaction's to her change multiply times, each time always ended up being the worst case scenario. She imagined Eve dumping her as her best friend, Michael throwing her out of the house, so basically the stupidest and most unlikely things to happen. When she ran out of scenarios she started to wonder what Shane was thinking about, whether he was concidering running from her or whether he was running a break up speech through his head.

At first she wasn't sure what he could be thinking but when she glanced at him for a second and saw an absentminded smile flicker on his face she had a funny feeling he was thinking about the moment she threw Oliver on the table. It made her feel a little better.

They finally made it to the house and Claire had to take a deep breath. Shane looked at her and said with a smile. "You ready for this?" When she scowled in reply he continued, trying not to smirk. "C'mon put on your best _I kicked Oliver's ass _face."

He got a quick laugh from her so he was happy. They carried on to the door and quickly unlocked it before shutting it and slamming the locks. Hand in hand they walked down the short hall in turned the corner into the living room. When they found Michael and Eve both sat on the couch they decided to get the whole thing over with. "Guys, we have something we need to-"

They didn't get a chance to finish because Michael suddenly flashed to his feet to face them. He wasn't looking at Shane though, his eyes were set on Claire's face, wide and even crimson red. "Claire, what are you?"

She couldn't say anything because his defensive reaction hurt her. It was almost like he thought she was dangerous. Shane was the one who spoke in response. "How the hell... oh... you can smell her can't you."

Michael shook his head and said. "Not the answer I was looking for." He stepped forward, both to step in front of a confused Eve to defend her and as a threatening move towards Claire. "Answer my question."

Claire quickly guessed he wasn't meaning to react like that and it was more out of instinct. He'd never dealt with something like this before so it was causing him to forcefully act without thinking. But Shane acted before thinking a lot too so he hadn't worked that out for himself, instead he just got pissed off. "What the fuck are you doing Michael? How can you even think about doing that? She's Claire, same old Claire!"

Although he refused to look away from Claire he still answered Shane. "No she isn't I can tell!"

Eve finally found something to say. "What are you talking about?"

"Just stay behind me Eve."

Claire finally couldn't take it anymore and tried to step towards him, her hands out in front of her to try and show him she meant no harm. It was a bad move though, because all it did was kick in his instincts and he ran at her. She may have defended herself if it wasn't Michael but that fact alone caused her to freeze still as he grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her into the far wall.

As Shane and Eve ran over to them screaming and shouting they stared at each other, one set of eyes filled with anger and the other with fear. Michael's grip tightened on her shoulders and he slammed her once more into the solid wood behind her. "I'll ask only one more time. What. Are. You."

"I don't know." She screamed in his face. Eve and Shane were both desperately trying to tear them apart from each other but nothing happened. Shane was even hoping Claire would lose her temper again and kick his ass, but she wouldn't.

Michael had finally had enough and Claire saw his eyes flare even brighter as he prepared to attack her. But that small little thing caused just a small amount of the anger she had shown before appear and without thinking for a second she lifted a hand and slapped him hard across the cheek. It forced him to let her and fall to the floor on his knees. Claire couldn't hold the hurt in anymore, she burst into tears and fled to her room before anyone could stop her.

Both Eve and Shane looked down and watched Michael for a second. Eve wasn't sure whether she should help him in case he attacked her too and Shane just didn't want to help him. Michael finally composed himself and looked up at them with wide eyes. "Oh my god, what the hell did I just do?"

**I just want to do a quick shout out for HoodedMystery's story Morganville ZOMBIES. Check it out its cool and deserves more reviews.**


	8. Chapter 8

Claire's POV

When Claire reached her room she quickly ran through the door and slammed it shut behind her. The fact that her own friend had attacked her caused the tears to come fast and frantically, her constant sobbing making it hard for her to breathe once again. She slid down the door and sat in front of it, her arms wrapped around her knees.

She stayed there for a minute or so as she tried to calm herself down, though nothing seemed to work. Her attempted began to work after a while and she soon found herself able to cry silently which was good enough for her. It was then that she glanced up and something caught her eye on the windowsill. It was nothing significant or dangerous, just a simple and harmless glass of water. Yet it still made Claire curious.

After a quick sniffle she started to make her way towards it, practically crawling across the room because she didn't feel like standing up. When she was finally below the windowsill she reached up and grabbed the glass before sitting crossed legged on the floor, the glass in front of her. She didn't actually know why it caught her attention and at that moment in time she didn't really care.

For a moment she just stared at it, a look of wonder in her eye. If anyone saw her they probably would have thought she was mad. In her mind Claire remembered vaguely someone saying the words "_creature of the sea"_ but the words were far away and blurry, almost like a dream. Those words made her try to concentrate on the water in front of her, as if she was testing if she could do something to it.

When twenty seconds passed and nothing happened she mentally scolded herself for being so silly before putting the glass down in front of her. Everything that had happened in such a short time had made her feel lost, she didn't know what to do anymore. To take her mind off of Michael's attack she let her mind wander again, back to the things Myrnin and Amelie had said:

"_Myrnin discovered your secrets and the power you hold..."_

"_...we need it for this town's sake."_

Claire had no idea why Amelie would think that.

While she was lost in her mind she hadn't realised that she'd absentmindedly begun to slowly run her finger around the edge of the glass in front of her while singing. It wasn't the same as the singing back at Myrnin's lab because while that singing had been heard inside everyone's mind this singing was coming from Claire's mouth. It wasn't as strong but it was definitely as beautiful. And then something within her flowed through her skin, to the tip of her finger, through the glass and into the water... which froze over in no more than freeze seconds.

The sudden temperature change caused the glass to shatter and the loud smashing sound caused Claire to jump and come back to reality. When she looked down and saw the pieces of ice and glass all over the floor she realised what she'd done. Her hand slapped over her mouth as she gasped loudly. She probably would have panicked too if the door happened opened at that moment.

Nobody's POV

It took all of Shane's will power to not punch Michael back down as he got to his feet. When he turned to Shane to explain himself and apologise Shane just silenced him before saying with and angry tone. "Don't say anything to me. I can't believe you did that to her, you of all people. She's always trusted you Michael, she thought you were the only vamp left she could trust. But obviously not."

Wait Shane, please just let me explain. I didn't mean to do that, it was like my instincts were controlling me. The second I caught her scent that was it, I just lost it."

Shane raised an eyebrow at him. "You seriously expect me to believe that. It's funny because that has never happened before."

"Probably because the last time I saw Claire she was a freaking human."

Eve suddenly stepped between the two of them, with both anger and fear in her eyes. "Why do you keep saying she isn't human? She's not a vampire, even I can tell that. No pale skin or anything, she looks like the same old Claire."

Without looking away from Shane Michael replied quickly. "When I caught her scent she didn't smell human or vampire, she's something else. Which must be why I reacted the way I did." Eve put her hands to her mouth in shock.

"You make it sound like it's her fault." Shane scoffed.

"I never said that and you know it, just tell us what she is!"

"I don't know!"

Eve could hear them both getting louder and knew that it would end in a fight if they didn't calm down so she decided to but in. "Well tell us what happened then."

"Fine."

As quickly as he could Shane explained everything that had happened. The further into the story he got the higher their eyebrows rose. When he had finished Michael said quickly. "Shane I swear I didn't know about anything what Amelie was planning, if I did I would have told you."

After releasing a long sigh Shane responded. "I know that but it doesn't change what you did to her. That was wrong and if she hadn't defended herself like that you could have killed her."

"I know, I'm really sorry."

"Whatever man-"

Before Shane could finish they all heard a loud smash come from upstairs. They paused for a second to look at each over before all yelling out. "Claire!" The three of them all ran up the stairs and down the hall to Claire's room.

Michael of course was the first one to get there and shoved the door right open to reveal Claire sat on the floor at the other side of the room. When she saw Michael she jumped to her feet and Michael couldn't deny the slight fear he saw in her eyes. He took a step towards her and she yelled at him to stop. "Claire please listen, I didn't mean-"

"No!" Claire yelled at him again. "I trusted you. You, Amelie and Myrnin and you threw it back in my face. I can't trust anyone anymore I never could."

"I didn't have anything to do with what Amelie planned and what happened a minute ago was an accident I swear." He explained. He tried to move towards her again but came to a sudden stop halfway there. When Claire's head had tilted slightly the glow head appeared in her eyes again. Just like in Myrnin's lab Michael got lost in them and couldn't move. He just stared at her in a frozen trance.

For a second nothing happened until Shane leaned around Michael and saw Claire. Realising what was happening he stepped around Michael and walked towards Claire. When he was right in front of her he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. The glow disappeared and Michael snapped out of it, blinking a few times before looking at Claire in confusion.

The only reason Claire didn't react to Michael's further advancement was because on the whispers of reassurance from Shane.


	9. Chapter 9

Nobody's POV

Both Michael and Eve had tears in their eyes as they watched Claire, who was shaking and sobbing in Shane's arms. Everything that had happened had hit her again. Michael attacking her; the water freezing over, it all had its effect on her.

Michael waited until she'd calmed down a little bit then moved towards her again. He knew it could be a bad move, that she'd freak out and do god knows what to him but he figured he deserved it anyway. After just three steps Claire lifted her head from Shane's shoulder to look Michael in the eye. Michael noticed there was no anger or even fear in her eyes, just a lot of caution and wariness. He guessed that whatever Shane had whispered in her ear she was trying to listen to.

He took another step and he noticed Claire's body stiffen. Shane must have felt it because he twisted his head around to see what she was looking at before letting her out of his embrace but never letting go of her hand. Claire took a deep breath before finally speaking. "Why did you try to hurt me Michael?"

"I honestly don't know. All I know is that I didn't mean to and I'm really sorry."

"I don't see how you can not mean to attack someone."

Michael sighed, he knew there was no easy way of explaining what had gone through his mind the moment he lunged at Claire. "When you walked in the house I just took a breath and when I took in your scent and didn't recognise it I just lost control. It was like the vampire inside me took over."

Claire looked deep in thought for just a second, then she let go of Shane's hand and walked right up to Michael until there was less than a foot of space between them. She looked up into his eyes and said to him with a serious voice, almost a whisper. "Today I found out that there's a lot more people in my life that I can't trust than I thought. I need to know now that you're not one of them."

Michael, who had stared back at her without moving the slightest, replied with a voice filled with so much sincerity that the truth in is words could not be denied. "Claire, I promise you that I will never hurt you like I did again and whatever happens you will always have me by your side."

Claire smiled as a tear drop escaped her eye. Shaking her head she said. "That's all I'm asking for."

The smile on her face reassured Michael enough that he opened his arms, an invitation for a friendly embrace. Claire accepted and wrapped her arms around his chest as Shane and Eve came over to join them. Both of them smiling at what they had just seen.

**It's a short chapter for today, sorry. Speaking of chapters, I only got ONE review for my last chapter! ONE! :o So please review.**


	10. Chapter 10

Claire's POV

For the next three days not a lot happened. Claire stayed in the house most of the time, trying to control herself and the power she could feel pulsing through her body.

More vampires had gone missing so it was obvious her attack on Magnus had only damaged his ego and not his need to destroy the town. For some strange reason, although Claire was still angry with Amelie, Myrnin and Oliver, hearing about other vampires being taken did make her feel saddened. She knew that although her loyalty to the Founder was gone she still felt a loyalty to the town. It was her home after all.

Claire couldn't deny she was struggling. Not with control but just with not knowing what she was. She found it painful to not know the truth about herself. But she had no one to turn to who could tell her, the only people who knew were the very people she never wanted to see again. Amelie had promised her protection after everything she had done for the town but had planned to kill her instead. Myrnin had pretended to be her friend but had been the one to lead her to her death in the first place and Oliver- well she couldn't be mad at him really, he did no less than what she would expect of him anyway. So overall, avoiding them for the rest of her life would have been a blessing.

But deep down she'd had a feeling that was never going to happen. Whether she was sat on the couch in Shane's arms or alone in her room she always had a feeling that at some point she would turn around to see Amelie's emotionless stare- with no look of guilt to be seen. Unsurprisingly, Claire was right.

Half of the day had passed, of which Claire had spent being forced to watch the Friday The 13th movies back to back with Shane. After four hours of Claire hiding her face in Shane's chest and Shane realising he didn't have the rest of the movie set Claire finally put her foot down and demanded she chooses the next movie.

She was knelt down in front of the cupboard that contained their ridiculously large collection of DVD's, trying to pick one that wouldn't scare like the others. "What about I Am Number Four?"

"No way, you only want to watch it so you can drool over that alien guy." Shane said as he put his feet up on the couch.

"Yeah I know." Claire smiled before she continued. "I think he looks a lot like Michael."

"I'm telling Eve."

"Go ahead, I've already pointed it out to her and she agreed with me. Why do you think it's one of her favourite movies?"

"That's kind of sad... and creepy."

"Ok, Ok... Erm... Twi-"

Shane interrupted her by holding a hand up in the air. "Don't even say it. I will never allow myself to be tortured through that movie again. Besides, you shouldn't even have that movie."

"Since when do you care about rules?"

"Good point."

"So, no sparkling vampires and no seriously hot aliens. Considering how many movies we own its amazing how much that narrows down the choices available."

"Tells you a lot about how terrible yours and Eve's taste in movies are."

"Whatever. What about Resident Evil 2?"

Shane leaned forward in surprise at the suggestion. "You just refused to watch anymore scary movies and now you want to watch Resident Evil?"

"Resident Evil is _not _scary. I mean c'mon! There're zombies for crying out loud. All they do is shuffle around and make stupid noises. I don't understand why the survivors don't just casually walked past them anyway, it's not like zombies walk very fast." Claire scoffed.

The two of them kept bickering about the movie for about ten minutes until Shane finally accepted Claire had a point and agreed to watch the movie. When the movie appeared on the screen Claire laid down again with Shane. Just as the starting credits finished Shane started to kiss Claire's neck. She tried to ignore him for a few minutes but he continued until Claire finally giggled. She playfully hit him as he smiled at his small victory. "Stop it, I'm trying to watch the movie."

Shane leaned in close and whispered. "You no, I don't really like this movie that much. At least with the _real _horrors I get to hold you and be the knight in shining armour."

Claire rolled over so she was facing him directly. "You don't need a movie for that."

In response, Shane laughed lightly before moving himself and Claire so he was on top of her. "Am I that irresistible?" He smirked.

"Well you got me like this didn't you?"

"More irresistible than that alien guy?"

"Well I wouldn't go that far." Claire replied, trying to keep a straight face.

Shane raised an eyebrow before leaning in to kiss along Claire's jaw line. He didn't stop until he heard a quiet moan escape Claire's lips. "You were saying?"

"Well maybe just a little bit more irresistible."

"I thought so." Was the last thing said before more kisses passed between the two and buttons began to open...

... Shane was only in his pants- which were in the process of being pulled off- and Claire's T-shirt and bra had managed to make it to the other side of the room when Claire felt a familiar feeling inside her. At first she was a little too preoccupied to pinpoint what it was but just as Shane's lips were moving lower down her body she realised. A portal was being opened upstairs... in the secret room.

Only one person ever used that portal and the thought of that person made Claire feel both angry and scared. She quickly pushed Shane off her in panic who looked back at her in shock and confusion. "Claire, are you Ok?"

"The portal... Amelie's here."

**So, what did you think? Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi guys, I'm finally back. Sorry I haven't updated in ages my laptop is sporting some serious Trojan issues but I've managed to get on a shabby old computer today.**

It was difficult to tell who out of Claire and Shane was the angriest. Although it was more visible on Shane's face- with the gritted teeth and darkened eye- Claire was better at hiding her anger by masking it with an almost emotionless expression. "I don't fucking believe it." Shane muttered as he moved back to Claire and took hold of her hand. "I'll go and try to get rid of her."

He let go of her and went to grab his clothes from around the room but Claire grabbed his hand again. "No Shane, she was willing to kill me so I don't what she will do to you. I'll go, I can't avoid her forever, not in this town."

"But-" Shane tried to protest but Claire but a finger on his lips.

"It's fine Shane, I can look after myself more now."

He shook his head as he grabbed his shirt. "I'm coming with you."

After quickly pulling on their clothes they headed to the secret room hand in hand. When the door clicked open they headed up the stairs where they both noticed a couple of Amelie's bodyguards. Once they'd passed them and entered the room they saw Amelie sat on the couch with a cool expression on her face. Amelie looked at Claire and said. "Hello again Miss Danvers."

Shane scoffed. "I see your back on a second name basis. Do you only use first names with people who aren't your enemy?"

"I use which ever name I choose- _Mr Collins. _Also I don't regard Miss Danvers as my enemy."

"Bullshit!" Shane snarled as he took a step forward. "You don't kill your allies so don't talk that shit with us."

Amelie's eyes narrowed as she replied icily. "I don't accept that tone towards me." Her eyes flickered to look behind Shane before she continued. "Guards, please restrain Mr Collins while I speak with Miss Danvers."

Shane turned around to look at the two guards who both nodded once before calmly advancing towards him. He got himself ready to fight back as they got closer. When the first one reached him the guard made a move to grab one of Shane's arms. He saw the pale hand quickly flash towards him but come to a stop as the guards eyes widened. Claire- who had been stood by Shane in silence the whole time- had grabbed the vampire by the elbow and was staring with a dark expression into his eyes. "I wouldn't do that if I was you."

The guard looked towards Amelie, unsure of what to do in the new situation. The Ice Queen must had signaled to him because he nodded once and stepped away from Claire and Shane as she let go.

Amelie's expression softened just slightly. "I see this may have got off on the wrong foot. I am not here to hurt you- either of you. And I do not wish to be your enemy. Quite the opposite actually."

"The last time I considered you an ally you plotted to break my neck. Why should I even consider trusting you now?" Claire asked.

"I know what I did was wrong but believe me I had no choice. This town is in danger and this time I can't save it without your help. And I didn't do what I did to kill you, I did it to bring you back, to resurrect you."

"What if I didn't want to be _resurrected_?Do you have any idea what I've been through the past week? I've no idea what's going on with me."

"I understand that and we would have helped you if you would have just listened."

"I wasn't really in the mood at the time, having the vertebrae in my neck crushed and all." Claire shrugged sarcastically.

"Well will you just listen to me now or don't you want to know what you are?"

Curiosity hit Claire for a second and she thought it through deeply before replying. "Fine, I'll listen. But that doesn't mean I'm agreeing to anything."

Amelie nodded. "It's a start I suppose. So you want to know exactly what you are?" Both Claire and Shane nodded together. "Well, you are simply a mermaid."

The room was filled with silence for at least two minutes…

Shane finally said something. "Is this some kind of joke? A mermaid?"

"It is the truth Mr Collins."

"So er what, is she going to grow scales and a tale. Will I have to put her in a fish tank soon or something retarded like that because this is stupid?" Shane replied as Claire frowned at the fish tank comment.

"In a twelve year olds book yes but in reality no. No scales or a tail or any need for an aquatic space. I'm not sure what you have experienced so far but I know your powers have great potential."

"Including freezing things, singing people into trances… yeah I don't really see any potential." Claire commented with thick sarcasm.

"That is just some of your power, if I am correct they will soon extend to abilities such as breathing under water, stronger mind manipulation and maybe others powers that I have not seen in the past of your kind. All of which could help save this town."

"I never said I was going to help you I said I would listen."

Amelie rose to her feet and walked gracefully up to Claire who surprisingly didn't move or even flinch. "Claire, you do not need to be a friend nor ally to me to help save this town. All you need is to care about those who will be hurt if we lose. Because everyone you know will be hurt in the end, Mr Collins, Miss Rosser and Michael, especially Michael. Because the one who_ really_ killed you will kill every last vampire in this town and once he's done that he will kill every human as well. I will leave you in your thoughts now, come see me if you ever make a decision."

Amelie passed the two of them and disappeared with her guards through the far wall. Leaving Claire and Shane standing in silence.


	12. Chapter 12

Claire had been sat at the living room couch for at least fifteen minutes just knowing at one of her knuckles, deep in concentration. She finally stood up and quickly said to Shane who had been sat beside her. "I have to go see Amelie."

Just like Claire knew he would Shane jumped to his feet to protest. "You're not serious are you? Why do you want to get involved in this after everything that has happened?"

"I'm pretty sure I don't have much choice. You heard her, you are in the firing line and so are Eve and Michael. Whatever that guy is up to he means business."

"The vamps can deal with him."

"No they can't. I don't know what he is but I know he is stronger, strong enough to scare Amelie. If she's scared then we should all be petrified." She said to Shane as he began to frown.

"But no scared the crap out of him." He pointed out.

"Exactly, all I did was shock him a little. I had the element of surprise and a knife and all it did was scare him away. This isn't just for Amelie or the vampires it's for everyone, for you."

Shane's mouth opened to argue but deep down he knew she was right so he gave up. Instead he turned and grabbed the car keys from the side before saying. "I suppose we better find out what we are up against."

Walking into the council hall Claire couldn't help but notice the fact that there seemed to be less vampires hanging around than usual, less of Amelie's guards as well. They carried on to Amelie's office and decided to just walk right in. When they pushed the doors open Amelie looked up from her desk and smiled slightly. "I'm glad you decided to offer your assistance."

"Just no that this isn't for you."

"As you wish."

"Now please can you explain everything to me, including who that guy is."

Amelie did exactly that, explaining every last detail about Magnus and the danger he was to the vampires and humans in town. Both Claire and Shane couldn't help but notice how creepy and gross this Magnus guy was, feeding of vampires and humans super slowing until they are sucked dry just made Amelie's vampire's look like adorable puppies. Still neither of them could feel surprise at what Amelie was telling them, not after everything that had happened. When Amelie had finished explaining everything Claire was the first to speak.

"So, he wants to leech on all the vampires and then when they run out he'll move on to humans?"

"Yes, that is why some of my vampires are missing, including many of my guards. He must be holding them somewhere in town." Amelie replied.

"Where could that be?"

"We have an idea that he could be holding them at the old Morganville Swimming Pool but we have no confirmed proof yet."

"I suppose that makes sense." Shane murmured mainly to himself before saying louder.

"We really have to do this don't we?" Claire sighed. "This is all just getting a little crazy."

"I understand Miss Danvers I really do but there is nothing else than can be done, you really are our only chance." Amelie spoke almost gravely.

"So what exactly do you plan to do?"

"The first thing is to rescue the vampires he has already taken before he kills them, especially my most important allies."

"Who are?"

"Well last night he took three of my strongest friends, the ones I need back by my side the most. He managed to take Theo Goldman, Oliver and..." Amelie cut short and actually almost looked a little sympathetic and apologetic. Neither Claire nor Shane understood why. After a moment of silence Claire finally couldn't take it.

"Who else did he take?"

"We believe the third vampire he took last night was Michael."

Claire and Shane froze at that last name, their eyes wide and mouths hanging open. When Claire managed to recover her voice sounded broken. "But- but we thought he was at work."

Amelie shuck her head. "He never showed up and someone witnessed him walking through the streets after midnight before disappearing down a grate."

"Are you sure it was him? He could be somewhere else... or-"

"- I'm sorry but no one has seen him since. Magnus must have him there is no other explanation. This is why we need to do this now and with your help. So will you help save Michael?"

"You know we won't say no, he is our friend."


	13. Chapter 13

Claire and Shane followed Amelie down to the underground car park where Amelie had told them they were meeting the others who were taking part in the rescue. Claire hoped that one of them wasn't Myrnin but deep down she knew there was no way he wouldn't be left out of this.

The three of them stepped out of the elevator and headed to the far side of the concrete room. Around the last corner they found one of Amelie's signature limousines with around six vampires waiting beside it, one of which of course was Myrnin. He smiled slightly when he saw Claire. "It's very nice to see you again my dear."

"Stop talking to me." Claire replied bluntly as she walked by him. She heard him sigh as she turned back to Amelie. "So, what's the plan exactly?"

Amelie looked towards one of the other vampires who Claire recognised as one of her usual guards. He walked around to the back of the limousine and opened the trunk before pulling out four shot guns. The guard vampire handed three of them to other vampires and held up the other one he kept. "These are Mossberg 500s." He said to everyone.

Claire heard Shane mutter the word 'cool' at the vamps explanation but it meant absolutely nothing to her. The vampire continued. "Usually these shots would be useless against Magnus and his thralls but-" Swiftly he unloaded the weapon and held up the bullet. "-these are silver buckshot. Not only will they blow a hole through the draug but they'll poison them enough to kill them quickly."

Shane stepped forward in curiosity. "Do we get one of those?"

Instead of answering the vampire stepped aside and waved his hand toward the open trunk. Shane leaned over to take and look and a grin spread slowly over his face as he saw it was full with not only more shotguns but other weapons. "Take your pick." The vampire said with a smirk on his face.

Shane leaned in and grabbed two guns and when he was about to hand one to Claire he stopped with a reluctant look on his face. "Do you even know how to use one of these?"

Claire shrugged. "Aim and fire. I'm a girl I don't make a big deal out of it like you."

"If you say so, just don't shoot me."

"I'll-"

"We must go now." Amelie interrupted. "I fear those who have been taken cannot hold on much longer."

Everyone nodded and jumped into the limo. Was the driver was ready- who was the vampire who gave them the quick weaponry introduction- they set off and headed out into a slightly less than usual quiet Morganville. Claire was sat beside Shane and an unknown vampire with Myrnin sat directly across from her beside Amelie which both annoyed her and made her feel awkward.

The drive was pretty much in silence for a while with not one person bothering to say a word. When Claire began to get fed up by it she said the first thing that was on her mind. "There isn't really a plan is there. Except from run, shoot, rescue."

"The draug are rather unpredictable." Amelie answered. "Both in their tactics and motivations so really that is all we can do."

"How many vampires do they have anyway?"

"Besides the three I mentioned I would say at least eight but as much as I regret to admit it I do not believe it to be possible to rescue them all. Therefore Oliver, Dr Goldman and of course Michael are our priority."

Shane's eyes narrowed. "Not that I don't agree but why is Michael one of _your _priorities? I mean I understand the other two with the strength and badass and all that but what would you gain from rescuing Michael? He isn't exactly reaching his three hundredth birthday."

"You have a fair point Mr Collins and you are right. Other than Michael's intense bravery and level head he is of no gain to me. In a fight against the draug he would be no help. He is more of a priority to you. Not only do I know that you will not leave without him but I know we would lose you in this war if today ended with his death. That is why he is of priority."

"Hmm. You made a smart choice."

"Indeed."

At that moment Myrnin huffed. "I don't see why we are risking Claire to rescue them. I think it is unnecessary since she is far more valuable."

Claire made eye contact with him then. "Either you're trying to suck up to me with that stuck up compliment or you're just once again expressing how other peoples lives are worth nothing to you."

"Other people's lives are worth something to me, that is why I'm here. I was just saying that-"

"Why don't you try telling that to my once broken neck."

The two of them were going to start bickering when the driver called to them. "Cool it you two we are here."


	14. Chapter 14

_I know I know, I been gone for three month which is pretty bad but I've got to say it's not my fault. It's been a really crap few months. But I'm sorted now and I'm not letting anything else interfere with anything I do. Really sorry btw._

The second the limousine had slowed to a complete stop Claire jumped straight out of the door and onto the road. Her patience was definitely wearing thin and she just wanted to get the whole thing over with. The others followed a little more reluctantly, some of the vampires seemed even shocked by Claire's eagerness to get anywhere near the Draug. Shane quickly appeared by her side. "Ok, seriously we do actually need a plan otherwise this isn't going to end well. At least not for us anyway."

"Here's a plan. We go in there, shoot any of those things that get in our way, grab Michael and Oliver and whoever else we're here to rescue then get the hell out of there." Claire spoke almost harshly as she loaded her shotgun and marched towards the entrance of the swimming pool.

Shane moved to catch up with her. "Claire wait, we need to be careful about this."

"I think being careful is out of the question now." Claire replied as she turned her head for just a second to look at him. "We don't even know what we are going to come face to face with in there."

"Just don't get hurt in there, for me."

"Same for you, if something happens get the hell out of there."

"I will once I've got you with me."

Myrnin and Amelie suddenly appeared beside them with their weapons at the ready. "Ok are you two ready for this." Myrnin waited for their nod in reply before she continued. "Keep moving, don't stop for anything and for god sake don't get cornered. Let's go."

The vampires suddenly set off, barrelling through the door one after the other with Claire and Shane following closely behind. Inside showed clear evidence they were in the right place. On first glance you could see small puddles near the walls but that's all they seem to be. But as they continued on from the corner of their eyes they could see them slowly creeping towards them- following their every move. As one of the puddles of water got close enough to Claire without her noticing it tried to wind its way around her leg. She let out a gasp as she felt her ankle begin to sting and kicked frantically until it was forced to let her go. Shane hit it with the butt of his rifle as it made to grab her again. "This is just creepy."

They moved on through the dark corridor, following the almost eerie sound of dripping water. Myrnin glanced back for just a second and saw the pools of water beginning to take on an almost human form in the shadows. "We need to keep moving, hurry up."

They all sped up again- running in a group down the darkened halls- until they found themselves in front of a door with mould spores growing along the wooden frame from the water that soaked unnaturally along it. One of the vampires stepped forward to push the door open at Amelie's signal.

As they opened the pool came into view along with a figure Claire could remember all too clearly.

The figure flashed a grin that sent shivers down their spines. "Hello again. I've been expecting you."


	15. Chapter 15

Reluctantly, the small group stepped into the room as Magnus's grin widened. Shane stayed close to Claire- wanting to make sure she stayed safe despite the fact he was more vulnerable than she was now. Claire walked near the front of the group and the further they got into the room the more of the pool she saw. At first she just saw its shimmering surface, then further into its depths, then to the very bottom- where she could see the bodies of both humans and vampires that were floating motionlessly with their feet secured to the bottom. One of those vampires was Michael who was clearly still conscious but weak. He looked up at Claire through the water with evident fear in his eyes.

Anger suddenly raged through Claire's veins and in spite of her own fear she stepped towards Magnus. "Let them go!"

"And why would I do that?" Magnus replied with a chuckle.

Claire narrowed her eyes. Everything about Magnus made her blood boil. She could feel it now she was stood in front of him, that he was indeed the natural enemy to her kind. She knew that in the days when her kind were more prominent in the world the Draug would have made them sick with hatred.

"Quick playing games." She said between gritted teeth. "It got old a long time ago."

Magnus shrugged. "Games are such much more fun. I'll tell you what here's a new game for you. You get them yourself and actually get out of here then they're yours. I wonder how long you'll last down there." He pointed a hand towards the water.

Claire looked back towards the water. Its shimmer on her skin felt almost calming and strengthening at the same time. It would have felt stronger but this particular water was poisoned, contaminated by the Draug that hid within it. Nevertheless it gave Claire the push she needed. At Shane's protest she took one more step towards Magnus. "You're on."

In one fluid movement she lifted the shotgun in her hand and fired it at Magnus's chest before throwing the weapon to the floor and diving head first into the water.

Once she was beneath the waters surface she was unaware of what was going on above her, her attention only on the helpless victims hanging helplessly in the water around her and the sudden stinging pain that was eating at every inch of her skin. Above her it seemed that her shot at Magnus had angered him and he'd signalled his creepy minions who Shane and the vampires were now fighting. She didn't know this but she knew something bad was happening but either way she couldn't concentrate on that right now.

Luckily for Claire her vision underwater had definitely improved since it was more or less clear. She continued to hold her breath as she swam between the bodies- passing the humans with her head turned the other way as she knew they were dead. She went straight for Michael who stared straight back at her. The look in his eyes told her clearly what he wanted to tell her- or rather scream at her. _Get out of the water. _But there was no need for the warning, she'd already worked out what that stinging pain was. The Draug were feeding on her, draining her of everything she had. It wasn't too bad though, simply because the water was on her side like it had always been, fending of the creatures infesting it and giving her much more time.

Claire swam downwards towards the chains that bound Michael to the bottom. She tried to pull the chain and knew straight away it was too strong for her to simply pull. Then her moment of blind panic brought something else to her attention. The burning in her lungs, she couldn't hold her breath for much longer.

As usual her selflessness kept her there, determined to save her best friend. After closing her eyes Claire gripped the chains and concentrated. She thought of the betrayal she felt over the past few weeks and within seconds felt her fingertips turned ice cold. Opening her eyes she looked at the chain and saw it had frozen over with at least two of its links snapped.

Her excitement lead her to her first mistake, without thinking she opened her mouth to sigh in relief and the water rushed in. First there was burning in her throat and then there was... nothing. Everything felt fine as she instinctively continued to breathe with ease. _I guess Amelie was right._ Claire thought as she grabbed the damaged chains and pulled them apart.

Claire swam upwards while putting and arm around Michael's waist to pull him with her. Her head broke the surface and her eyes met chaos. The Draug were everywhere and still multiplying as the vampires fought back. She spotted Shane as she dragged Michael out of the water. He was doing Ok but he still could have done with some help. But Claire knew she had to rescue the others.

As she ordered one of the vampires to get Michael out she dived back into the water. Now it was time to get Oliver out. It was easier this time even though the burning was increasing because she knew what to do and didn't have to worry about drowning. In fact it was only a minute or so before she'd frozen and snapped the chain and was dragging him to the pool edge. Again she left him with the others and went back down to help more.

This time she decided to help two at once, feeling that her time in the water was almost up. Luckily she seemed to have an agreement with the vampire who'd taken Michael out, that she gets them out of the water while he would drag them to safety as the others covered him. After seven minutes she'd gotten the two out together as well as one more after.

When the last one was taken away by the vamp Claire got ready to jump back in even though the weakness she was feeling was dangerously hard to ignore but Myrnin called her. "Don't Claire, you can't help them. We need to go."

"But-" She looked down at the vampires still trapped, some of them looking right at her begging for help with their eyes.

Myrnin shook his head. "Don't do it, you have to leave them. I'm sorry."

Tears were in Claire's eyes but she knew he was right. _I'm so sorry. _She thought as she ran towards the worst of the fighting. Some of the vampires were starting to retreat towards the door when Magnus's voice boomed through the room. "That's enough!"

Claire turned towards the sound and saw Magnus stood by the pool holding Shane by the neck. The Draug leader looked right at her. "Very impressive young one, you've cause quite some trouble for me in such little time. Now let me return the favour."

He hit a struggling Shane in the back of the head- knocking him clean out- and threw him into the pool.

"No!" Claire screamed as she dived in after him without a second thought.

_**Oops Claire forgot Naomi. What a damn shame. **___


End file.
